JURUPA VALLEY: Estranged husband fatally shoots wife, kills himself

Two people were shot and transported to a local hospital around 8:30am in the 3400 block of Skylane Drive south of 34th street Saturday in Jurupa Valley, CA. July 19, 2014. (TERRY PIERSON, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

A 43-year-old Jurupa Valley woman was fatally shot by her estranged husband who later killed himself Saturday, July 19, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 3400 block of Skylane Drive shortly after 8:30 a.m. They found a woman in the driveway of a home suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a Riverside County sheriff’s news release.

The woman, Simona Mateas, was taken to a hospital, where she died, the release said.

Deputies found a second person at the home with gunshot wounds. The person was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the release stated.

At about 2 p.m., the San Bernardino Police Department received a call of a suicide in the 1900 block of West Lincoln Avenue, said San Bernardino police Sgt. Brett Birnbaum.

The man who killed himself, identified as Avram Mateas, was the suspect in the shooting. Simona and Avram Mateas were going through a divorce, the release said.

The street where the shooting happened near Valley Way and the 60 Freeway was cordoned off for several hours Saturday with yellow tape, closing the area to traffic.

A neighbor who lives down the street said his wife was outside and heard two loud shots and three or four shots from what sounded like a smaller-caliber gun.

“My wife said she heard a female voice saying, ‘No, no, no,’ between the shots,” said Lorenzo Curiel, 39.

He said the neighborhood seems to be getting more dangerous.

“I hear shootings happen every now and again,” Curiel said. “It’s seems like there’s been a rise in gunfire recently.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 951-955-2777 or 951-955-2600.

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